Hair Transplant Recovery

Your hair transplant recovery is very important to everyone at Medikemos Hair Restoration. Once you are finished with your procedure at Medikemos Hair Restoration you will be given a hair transplant recovery care package to take with you along with specific instructions on how to care for your newly transplanted hair and your donor zone to ensure maximum healing and overall safety and excellent final hair transplant results.

The first few nights of your hair transplant recovery are the most critical to your long term successful results. Dr. Lupanzula will direct you to refrain from touching your transplanted hairs as the danger lies in dislodging the grafts from the recipient area. If the grafts are dislodged then they will become dehydrated and no longer be viable for producing healthy hair. Touching the grafts may also spread infection which can cause more problems and potential for unhealthy growth. It is also recommended that you sleep in an upright position, at roughly 45 degrees, for the first two to three nights as this helps to prevent swelling during your hair transplant recovery.

You will also be given specific hair transplant recovery instructions for the longer term. These instructions should be followed as closely as possible to ensure the absolute finest result possible. You are encouraged to contact the clinic if you have any questions or are unsure about specific circumstances you may find yourself in. In general, it will take one year to see your final result but this time frame can vary from patient to patient. You can expect the following to occur after you have your hair restoration with Dr. Lupanzula.

The first week into your hair transplant recovery you will experience some minor swelling and moderate discomfort. This is perfectly normal and expected. You will be given some mild pain relievers to help for the first few days. Most patients do not take these medications but they are available should they be needed. You will also develop mild scabbing on the recipient area but this is normal and expected. They will be gone after one week if you follow your post-op instructions.

The second week after your hair transplant will see that your scalp is pink in both the recipient and donor areas. The recipient area may look like you have some growth beginning but this is not the case. The hairs that were transplanted are working their way out of the skin but the follicles are still intact and safe. The donor zone will still have some scabs but the hair growth from the initial shave will be growing back to cover the donor zone extraction points. The donor zone should look relatively healthy and untouched to the casual observer.

In the third week after your hair transplant you may notice some of the hairs look even longer than the previous week but you will also notice that the density is lessened. This is because the shedding phase, which occurs after almost every hair transplant no matter where it was performed, is beginning and this will continue for about two more weeks. The donor area is looking normal and all of the scabbing should be completely gone. The donor zone should look normal even under close inspection.

One month into your hair transplant recovery will be a time of near panic as the majority of the grafts that were transplanted will have shed and you will effectively look like nothing was done save for a slightly still pinkish recipient zone. The severity of the pinkness is only moderate and resembles a very slight sunburn but for many patients the normal skin color has completely returned. Five weeks into your hair transplant recovery is when most of the transplanted hair has completely shed and the waiting period for new growth begins.

Two to three months into your hair transplant recovery you may begin to see some preliminary growth but it will not be enough to make a major cosmetic difference. The industry average for new growth is three to four months but our patients tend to have earlier than average growth due to a variety of protocols in our clinic.

Four to six months into your hair transplant recovery will see a big change unfold. There should be a noticeable increase in hair growth and an overall cosmetic improvement, but the hair transplant recovery does not end there. You have more improvements to look forward to with more options for hair styles and a younger appearance.

Seven to nine months into your hair transplant recovery will represent the final changes with regards to new growth. At the end of this period all of the hairs that are to sprout will have done so, but the improvements will continue.

Ten to fourteen months after your hair restoration with Dr. Lupanzula will see your hair mature. This means that the hair will improve in texture and overall characteristics. Many times during hair transplant recovery the hair that is growing can look darker, thicker in diameter and behave differently than the native hair but the transplanted hair will soften and relax as it continues to grow. This is normal and expected and always resolves in time.

Once the full recovery has completed you will have a new head of hair that will be indistinguishable from your original hair to everyone around you. You can cut your hair, style your hair and maintain your hair to fit your particular lifestyle.